Before the Dawn
by Letselina
Summary: AU The battle against Vegnagun causes a fatality, leaving Rikku lost, feeling alone in her sorrow. When an unexpected journey comes, she soon learns that she is not alone in her sorrow or her old loves. Rippal, Tikku
1. Zero

**Before the Dawn  
**_Prologue._

I can't force these eyes to see the end  
If only time flew like a dove  
We could watch it fly and just keep looking up  
_- "Hallelujah", Paramore

* * *

_

"It's so big!" Yuna looked up in awe.

"Woo-hoo! No more climbing!" I brushed sweat from my brow. I was already tired, but the battle had barely begun.

"Can you _please_ focus?" Paine demanded as she leapt at one of the giant mechanical arms.

Vegnagun was even bigger than I had imagined. Shuyin was relentless in his barrages of attacks, and it seemed like we were never going to win.

Because, of course, we _were_ going to win. We _always_ win. We're the Gullwings. You know, save the day and all that hullabaloo. I wasn't expecting to lose this battle.

Yuna, with Tidus' sword, dealt the final blow.

"Phew!" I was glad the battle was over. I couldn't take much more beating.

The three of us scooted over to the rest of the gang, grinning in victory.

"What now?" Paine wondered.

"Uhh," I put in my two cents, "Maybe we're finished?"

"Finished indeed!" The spookily haunting voice of Baralai/Shuyin interrupted my victory dance.

"Baralai!"

"All of Spira is finished!" Shuyin cried, restarting Vegnagun.

_Shoot. _

_Or rather, don't shoot!_

I was really sick of fighting. Like, so extremely sick, I was pretty sure you could catch a disease from it. It didn't matter though.

I can't really remember most of the battle though. The doctor said that extreme pain sometimes causes memory loss. It was like the others though, I think.

My memory kicks in again at the end of the battle. We're all _really, really, really_ tired now. One of Vegnagun's arms was down, and its head was low. I knew the battle was nearly over.

Yuna was in her Songstress dressphere, I in my Berserker, and Paine in her Gun Mage. Being in Berserk mode always makes my head kinda woozy, but I'm always super aware of the enemy. That was great and all, but I should've been aware of my team.

It all really happened in slow motion. Yuna was singing, keeping our strength up. Paine shot a blast at Vegnagun's head; it seemed to take forever to hit.

"Look out!"

My head whipped to the right, and my animal instincts allowed me to jump quickly and dodge the arm that swooped across the ground.

I saw Paine dive to the ground, mercilessly run over by the mechanical limb.

Yuna wasn't nearly as lucky.

I heard a lot of voices, one I think might have been my own.

As if someone suddenly hit play, everything happened at once. Paine's blast hit the weapon, and its head crumpled to the ground. The arm still had enough momentum, though, to swing powerfully into Yuna.

I reached out my arm to her, my jaw falling. It wasn't much use: I was much too far away. Yuna's eyes widened as the arm smashed into her side, pushing her over the edge of the platform. I ran to the edge, nearly sliding off myself as her scream pierced my ears.

"No!" Paine was right beside me, her eyes already glistening.

I heard the footsteps of the others behind us, as we all helplessly watch her fall into the abyss


	2. One

**Before the Dawn  
**_One._

That's why I wanna go outside in the rain  
So no one, no one, no one, knows that I'm crying  
I wanna go outside in the rain to dry my face  
_"Go Outside in the Rain" - Milira_

_

* * *

_

I wasn't sure how I even made it to that field of flowers. I only remember being there because I had five seconds of hope that perhaps Yuna was here. Five seconds came and went, and there was no Yuna. I was pulling up the tail of the group, trudging my feet through those stupid purple flowers.

"Rikku."

I didn't answer. I didn't even look up.

"Rikku."

I wondered if I really looked like I wanted to be talked to.

"Rikku."

My head shot up in infuriation. I wasn't in a talkative mood, but whoever it was must not have noticed.

But there was no one. The group was way ahead of me now, and I knew no one had hung back.

"Behind you."

For the first time, I realized the voice wasn't familiar. It sounded like a child. What was a kid doing in this place? I turned around, and stepped back. It looked like a _ghost_. The kid was much shorter than me, dressed in purple robes, and transparent.

"Sorry to startle you."

I didn't think I could talk without weeping. It was all I could do to not collapse and cry for days. I just didn't imagine Yunie was going to show up again like the last time she fell. There was no bottom to this hole.

"I'm a Fayth."

My eyes widened slightly. A Fayth?

"I've come to thank you."

"For what?" I whispered. My voice was crackly.

"For helping Shuyin to rest."

"We didn't..." I trailed off. Our whole plan was ruined. Yuna was supposed to have spoken with Shuyin through Lenne and it was supposed to work. He wasn't supposed to have...

...you know.

"Lenne's spirit has finally joined with Shuyin's and they now reside in the Farplane. We have you Gullwings to thank."

I nodded slowly. Perhaps the dressphere had been released, and Lenne's spirit with it. Or something. I didn't even know if that made sense. I was too tired.

"We want to repay you, after all this."

I listened.

"We can bring back the one you lost."

I sucked in a breath. "Really?"

"I can't promise anything but we'll do what we can."

He faded away, and I sunk to my knees.

Could he really bring Yunie back? I wished with all my heart that he could.

_The one you lost_.

She truly was gone.

I started to cry. I don't know how long I lay there. I just cried and cried and cried.

"Hey." I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder.

I knew it was Gippal, and I'd never been more thankful for his company.

"Let's go." He knelt down, sliding one arm under my knees and the other behind my back. Lifting me up, he began to carry me from the abyss.

I saw that he was crying too. A tear trickled down his cheek. I lay in his arms, resting my head against his chest.

He took me to the Celsius, where between the eight of us (Shuyin had let go of Baralai's body) we broke the news to the rest of the Gullwings and the stowaways on the ship. Some like me cried, and some like Brother were unmoved in shock.

We flew to Luca, where Nooj, Baralai, Gippal, Leblanc and her cronies got off first. They were to tell Spira that Vegnagun was no more. The news surrounding Yuna would have to come later. Paine and I followed slowly.

We reached the stadium, where thousands of Spirans waited as Nooj, Baralai, and Gippal stepped up to the microphone. Leblanc, Ormi, and Logos stayed in the back of the stage with us.

Nooj spoke first, and silence spread like a disease through the stadium.

"Once my friends and I dreamed of flying. We would sail a ship with me as its captain. In time, I became that captain. I found a new ship with new friends. My ship was the Youth League."

"Others chose a different captain." Baralai stepped up to the plate. I was amazed at their ability to speak after such tragedy. "Their boat was New Yevon."

Yuna had been the same though, hadn't she? After the tragic loss of her lover, she was able to smile upon Spira and allow others to forever smile as well.

"You know, I realize I'm like a lot of you people." I looked up as Gippal spoke. Even he was braver than I was. I wouldn't be able to talk to Spira, smile, and pretend like it was all okay. "We want a captain. And we want a ship to ride, but more important than that, really, we all want to ride together."

"There are some things you can't do alone. But they become easy with friends beside you." Baralai looked back at Paine and nodded. Was that the strength they were using to act so bravely?

Paine tapped my shoulder, and motioned toward the exit. She'd heard enough, I figured. We crept out, boarding the Celsius again.

Brother was still silent as we lifted up off the ground. Our next destination was Besaid. That's where Yuna's family was. It's where we would find comfort, pain, and a place to hide from the world.

I never told the others about the Fayth. I just assumed it was a dream, praying to a higher source that she wasn't gone.

Without Gippal, I had lost my shoulder to cry on, but I sat beside Paine, and we both wordlessly watched the ocean and clouds pass beneath us as we flew.

I exhaled, standing up. I hated just sitting there. I had to be courageous, like Gippal and the others. I walked over to Shinra's vacant desk; he was hiding somewhere in the cabin. Spheres were lined up across a messy table. I sighed. Sphere hunting didn't sound nearly as fun as it was before. I picked up one, turning it over in my hands.

"Arrrrrrgh!" Brother's irritated voice screeched through the Celsius, scaring the living bejeezus out of the rest of us.

I had jumped from my skin, and in the process, dropped the sphere I was holding. It began to play.

"Fryd cund uv eteud cdyhtc eh dra ulayh frah E ys dnoehk du myht rana?" Brother shrieked. _What sort of idiot stands in the ocean when I am trying to land here?_

I looked down at the sphere and picked it up, forcing the tears to stop burning in my eyes. It was the sphere that had sent me to Besaid to get Yuna, and start our journey searching for Tidus.

But it wasn't Tidus. It was Shuyin. I felt anger surge through my veins. It was entirely his fault. If he hadn't tried to blow up Spira, and looked so much like Tidus, we would have _never_ been in that stupid place. I stopped the sphere, and set it back down. Then I fell on my butt, frustrated and upset.

"Eteud! Lyh'd ra caa ra'c eh dra fyo?" _Idiot! Can't he see he's in the way?_

Well at least we were getting some sort of reaction from him now. He was angry. I felt sorry for Brother. Although she was his cousin, he loved her more than anything.

I glanced at the view below as we got closer and closer to the speck of a person standing on the shoreline. I hoped we didn't hit whoever it was.

We landed outside Besaid, but none of us moved very enthusiastically to unload. No one wanted to tell Wakka, Lulu, or little Vidina. I was rethinking ever telling them. Why did they need to feel the pain we did anyway?

"Come on Rikku," Paine held out her hand to help me up.

I did get up, and I followed Paine off the ship. It was a good long walk to the village and I needed the air.

I splashed my feet in the water of the ocean. I'd be sorry later that I got my boots all wet and sandy, but I presently didn't care. I kept my head down, not wanting to stir any memories that would send me to tears.

"Rikku!"

Damn it all. I didn't want to talk to _anyone_.

I didn't have a choice, though.

"Oof!" I groaned as someone's arms were thrown around my shoulder, my head smashing into his chest.

"I can't believe it's you!" The man was crazy, jumping around with my head still locked in his arms.

"Get off me!" I yelled.

Obviously I startled whoever it was, because he let go immediately.

I looked up, squinting blurry eyes in the sun.

"What? Don't you recognize me?" he asked.

My jaw dropped, and for the hundredth time that day, I fell to the ground.


	3. Two

**Before the Dawn  
**_Two._

She didn't choose this role  
But she'll play it and make it sincere  
So you cry, you cry  
_"Time To Dance" – Panic! at the Disco_

* * *

"Tidus?" I whispered. I _was_ going crazy.

He held out his hands and helped me up, "Who else could it be?"

"You're alive?"

"I think so." He grinned, looking up and down at me. His grin faded a bit, "What's wrong?"

I shook my head, and began to laugh. I laughed so hard I started to cry. The irony of it was too much to handle. Then I began to cry hard. I couldn't stop. It was like the cry button in my body was jammed and nothing could unstick it.

"Rikku?" Tidus sounded worried.

I kept shaking my head, still crying. "It's not right. You can't show up now. Not with everything that's going on! It's not right!"

"What's going on Rikku? Rik?" He shook my shoulders slightly, trying to snap me out of it I suppose. It wasn't working much.

"You must be Tidus," Paine's voice came from behind me.

He nodded, "What's wrong with her?"

"It's been a long day. We should go to the village." She stepped closer, sighing, "I'm Paine, one of Rikku's friends."

The three of us walked to the village, each step slowly sobering me. We had nearly reached the village when I was finally able to speak and see clearly.

"Tidus," I said his name, unsure still whether or not I was awake.

"Are you okay now?"

I opened my mouth to say "yes" but that would be lying, wouldn't it? "No." I looked at him, and for the first time all day, I really saw him. His golden hair, sky blue eyes, beautiful body... I could see the question lingering in his eyes. _Where's Yuna?_

"I really am happy to see you, though."

He laughed nervously. He could tell something was wrong. "Really? I just assumed you hated me."

"No, it's not like that." I stopped. We had entered the village.

"I'll go first," Paine said. She wasn't as close to Lulu or Wakka like Tidus and I were, but she knew how important they were. She led the way to their home, "Knock, knock."

Wakka came to the door, "Paine! Good to see yah." He looked past her, at me, and at Tidus. "Holy..."

"Hi Wakka," Tidus grinned sheepishly.

"Lu! Come 'ere!" he shouted into his home.

His call was answered with a baby's wail.

"Wakka!" Lulu's sharp voice met his ears with a wince. She came to him, baby bouncing in her arm.

"Sorry," he apologized. "But look."

Her features softened tenfold as her eyes met Tidus'. "You..."

"I don't even want to know," he put his hands up, seeing the baby in her arms.

"Brudda! You alive!" Wakka finally said.

"And kicking," Tidus laughed.

Paine and I watched the reunion with guilt. It was happy, but I felt like it was the only happy left in the world.

"I'm sorry, we have to put a damper on this, but we need to talk," Paine interrupted.

Lulu looked at me, "What's happened?"

I guess the pain was more than obvious on my face. "Inside," I said.

We followed Lu and Wakka into their home, and they offered seats, one that I willingly took. And we told them of our final battle.

A silent shock settled in. To be cliché, the tranquility was deafening. Lu stood up, and moved to the kitchen where she began to cook. Vidina began to cry again, so Wakka walked over and tended to him.

There wasn't much talking. A "bless you" or two was said when Lulu sneezed, and "pass the vegetables" at supper. Then we all lay down. Nobody really slept though. It was early, the sun just below the horizon. It was about three hours before I heard the first snore from Wakka. I could hear Lulu and Paine's light breathing as well.

Outside, there were children playing still. I could hear a fire crackling, so I assumed there were adults as well.

Tidus was closest to me, so I knew immediately that it was he who was leaving the hut. He left without a sound, and none of the others stirred.

I sat up, deciding to follow. It wasn't like I was going to sleep very well anyway. I crept out of the tent, watching as Tidus walked away toward the old temple. I followed him inside, the dim torches casting long shadows on the wall.

It wasn't until we got inside the Cloister that he spoke. "I can't believe she's gone."

I stepped closer. "Me either." We walked through the Cloister until we came to the Chamber of the Fayth.

"This is where I first saw her."

I looked up, imagining the exhausted summoner emerging from the Chamber. Then I had a thought.

The Fayth.

_We can bring back the one you lost._

Suddenly it hit me harder than before: _Yuna wasn't coming back._

"It was you."

Tidus turned his head to look at me. "What?"

"You were the one they brought back. It was supposed to be Yuna!" I felt a lump in my throat, but I knew I had no tears left to cry.

"What?" he repeated. The fire's light flickered in his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"The Fayth! He came to me, after she fell. He said that they could bring back the one we lost. I thought he meant..."

I stopped. There was no use. What was done was done. "I just wish she could have seen you. We searched so long..."

Tears were rolling down Tidus' face. It wasn't fair that they had brought him back to such pain.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

* * *

_From the author to you, the reader:  
_I realize this chapter is quite short, but the following chapters are going to get longer and longer. Thanks to those who have reviewed and if you know anyone who likes either Rippal or Tikku - please oh please tell them to come read this! I swear they won't be disappointed!  
Thanks, Ivy 


	4. Three

**Before the Dawn  
**_Three._**  
**

What must we do to restore our innocence  
And oh, the promise we adored  
Give us life again 'cause we just wanna be whole  
"_We Are Broken" - Paramore_

* * *

We stayed in Besaid for a couple weeks. Slowly each of us fell into quiet acceptance, and we began to plan a private service. We also had to think of how we could release the news to the press and to all of Spira. We decided that we would prepare a speech, go to Luca, and solemnly share our sorrow. 

I spent a lot of time on the beach, close to the ocean. I thought that the closer to freedom I felt, the farther I'd be from the pain. It wasn't true, though. The loneliness drove me to tears: I had only my thoughts.

Tidus joined me as I walked down the beaten path one very early morning. The sun was just beginning to rise. We were quiet for the most part, until we reached the beach.

"How are you doing?" he asked easily.

I looked at him with a tired smile, "I've been better."

"Me too."

I lied down on my back, curling my fingers through the sand. "I don't know what I'm going to do now." I smiled a little, more in irony than joy, "I've always had this plan, you know? Whether it was sphere hunting, salvaging, or saving Yunie, I just knew what lay ahead. I was always prepared."

"Always?" Tidus plopped down beside me. "What about when we defeated Yunalesca? I don't know about you, but I thought that was a pretty on-the-spur-of-the-moment thing."

I pouted. "But I knew we were doing it to save Yunie."

"I suppose."

I sighed. It was the beginning of a journey I didn't want to have to take again. "Do you think she can see us now?"

"I don't know." Tidus lifted his arm, tracing a cloud with his finger. "If she can, she's probably upset."

"How come?" I asked, rolling onto my side.

"She told me she wanted her journey to be full of laughter; that we were like Spira's ray of light. She practiced smiling, when she was sad." He dropped his arm and closed his eyes. "She would want us to move on."

I frowned, "But everyone deserves to mourn."

Tidus sighed. "Yeah."

"What will you do?" I asked after a moment's calm.

He shrugged. "Maybe I'll go play blitzball."

I smiled a little, "You know, I've been playing blitz too."

"Really." He rolled over to face me. "You any good?"

I stuck out my tongue. "The best."

He chuckled once, "We'll have to see then, won't we?"

I laughed a little too. It felt strange and refreshing, like when your ice cream melts and dribbles on your foot on a hot day. "We have to go to Luca in a few days, why don't we do it then?"

"Sure. But try not to cry when you lose, okay?" Tidus smiled.

"Don't worry, I'll bring you a tissue," I taunted. It felt good for once, to relax.

There was another silence between us, and I smiled a little more. "Yuna was really good too."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Tidus' smile grew some too.

I rolled back onto my back, looking back up to the sky. The stars had now all faded, but there was a glorious rosy glow in the east.

"Is that the Celsius?" Tidus asked, pointing a finger up in the sky.

I followed his finger to a growing dot in the sky. "No." I could tell already it wasn't the Celsius. You would know too if you had spent hours waiting for Brother to get his rear end to you while you were freezing your butt in Gagazet.

The unknown ship puzzled me. I didn't know who it could be, or why they were up so early.

"We should move," I said as it got closer and closer. I could tell it was going to land where the Celsius had a few days before, and if we stayed to close to the water, we were bound to get soaked. I got up, brushing sand off my arms.

We walked toward the path that led to the village, but turned to watch the airship land in the ocean near the shore.

"Do you know who it is?" Tidus asked me as a ramp slid down from the bridge.

"Not a clue." Airships were rare still around Besaid, so I wondered who in Spira would be traveling there.

We watched as a few Al Bhed I didn't recognize hopped off, speaking rapidly to each other. I couldn't make out their words, but I could tell they sounded frustrated.

"Al Bhed?" Tidus guessed. "They don't sound happy."

"Yeah. I can't hear why though. Maybe something's wrong with the ship."

The group hushed quickly as another male began to walk down the ramp. He shook his head at the group, then looked our direction, and waved.

"Know him?" Tidus looked to me for an answer.

"Mmhmm." I gave a little wave back. Only Gippal would drag an entire crew to the "uncivilized" island of Besaid at the butt crack of dawn. A lot of Al Bheds sign up to work as crews on airships. It costs less to hire them than a professional crew, so they man a lot of on-the-spur trips.

Gippal ran to us, but slowed as he neared us. His eyes were glued to Tidus. "Who's your friend?" he asked, without even looking at me.

"Hi to you too," I muttered. "His name is Tidus."

"Tidus, huh? My name's Gippal," he held out his hand.

"Gippal?" Tidus shook his hand. "We haven't met before, have we?"

Gippal chuckled, "I was going to ask you the same thing. You look just like Shuyin."

"Shuyin?" Tidus frowned. He knew the name from the story of Yuna's fall.

I seemed to be the source of all answers; both of the males looked at me with questioning glances. Sighing, I replied, "Shuyin looked like you. He set us off on our journey to find you, but it wasn't really you." And I knew why Tidus recognized Gippal's name and face. During Yunie's pilgrimage, I used to tell him stories about when we dated, and Tidus told me stories of Zanarkand. His Zanarkand, that is.

Of course, I couldn't remind Tidus here. That would mean admitting to Gippal that I still had feelings for him. During the pilgrimage, I mean.

I still had feelings for him during the _pilgrimage_. Two plus years ago.

Gippal shrugged. "Anyway, I came to check up on you. You know, see how you're holding up. You and Dr. P sure left in a hurry."

I scratched the back of my head nonchalantly. "We didn't think we needed to stick around any longer."

"Yeah. I heard from Paine that you guys are going in front of all Spira to drop the bomb," he said slowly. I could see he was still upset.

"Yup." I looked at him carefully. I noticed small bluish bags under his eyes, and he was slouching more than usual. "Why don't you come to the village? I'm sure there'll be enough breakfast for you."

"Yeah!" Tidus interjected. "Lu always makes plenty!" There was a small smirk in his eyes that I knew meant trouble.

"I'm always up for food! Just let me calm the crew really quick." Gippal jogged back towards his ship, yelling in Al Bhed.

"I remember now," Tidus said quietly. "You used to date him, right?"

I bit on my lower lip. Hurriedly, I begged, "Don't say anything, okay? Gippal has an ego like a balloon animal. If he knew I told you all sorts of things about us, his body would go _kablooey_!"

The blonde (I suppose I should specify, we are all blonde here) Tidus chuckled, "Okay, okay!"

The crew headed back to the ship, and Gippal back to us. "Now, let's get that food!"

Paine, Tidus, and I had begun staying in the old Crusaders lodge to give Lulu and Wakka their space, but we were invited over for every meal. The meals were solemn usually, with small talk about the weather, Vidina, and outside life. Having Gippal with us at breakfast had lightened the mood some.

Paine smiled a little, which was a nice surprise. She was probably happy to have a more familiar face around. I know she became fast friends with Lulu, but I think she (like the rest of us) needed to keep her mind away from Yuna-related subjects.

Gippal was, well Gippal. He was cheery the entire time, telling stories about the Crimson Squad (the brighter stories anyway) and about me. I won't say I was proud about most of them, especially the stories of me sneaking out to see him. Had it been any other situation, I would have been upset that he was publicly displaying my old behaviors.

But now, it didn't seem to bother me. I was enjoying the company of all my friends too much to want to complain.

It was late afternoon when I went for another walk, but this time I was without a destination. Gippal tagged along, a few feet closer than I would have expected. "Lulu and Wakka are great people, huh?"

"Yup," I skipped ahead a few steps. "They pretty much raised Yunie."

"Yeah." We all seemed to be saying that a lot lately. It was getting on my nerves.

"So, you came all the way to Besaid just to check on me? Before the sun rose?" I looked at him suspiciously. "I know better."

"I came to check on _all _of you. Except Tidus, I suppose. I didn't know he was around."

I shrugged. "He technically didn't exist."

Gippal cocked his head to one side, "Didn't _exist_?"

I nodded, stopping at the top of the hill. I told him about meeting Tidus during a salvage, and reuniting during the pilgrimage. How he and Yuna had fallen in love and how he had disappeared. I felt my chest tightening, remembering everything from the pilgrimage. In the latter part of it, I became much closer to Tidus. My mind wandered farther from Gippal, and more to him.

I knew it was a crush. I also knew how Yuna felt. So kept my feelings to myself, and held back my tears when he jumped off the ship. I let Yuna cry for me.

"I thought he seemed familiar."

I turned my head, looking at Gippal. He stood beside me with arms crossed, staring over the edge.

"He played for the Aurochs a few times, right?"

A smile tugged at my lips, "Yup."

"Blitzball was always a treat during those days." Gippal faced me, a small grin on his lips. "What are your plans, now?"

I turned back to the horizon, pursing my lips.

"Me too," Gippal agreed to my silence. He took a step closer to me, and brushed his hand against mine hesitantly.

An old feeling floated through my chest, but I ignored it, along with the hand-brush. I didn't know if I wanted to accept this feeling back in my heart. I knew I couldn't handle any more pain.

"Rikku." He took my hand, causing me to turn toward him in surprise. "We don't have to stay here and wither in everyone's pain and sorrow."

"All of Spira will be in sorrow soon," I said quietly. I recalled the once constant talk of drowning in sorrow. Yuna ended that drowning, but now she would cause it to begin again. "There will be nowhere left."

"What if I said there might be somewhere?"

I looked up into his eye, tilting my head. "I'd tell you I wouldn't want to live in an area with no people."

Gippal smiled, letting out one laugh. "Through all of your sphere-hunting, Shinra found something other than Shuyin. I can't explain it now, but the Gullwings could have one more mission."

I stepped back, pulling my hands from his. "There is no Gullwings."

"Rikku," he apologized. "How about just you and me then?"

I turned my back, and started walking down the hill again. "We finished that story a long time ago," I told, my stomach clenching my throat angrily. "I don't want to do a sequel," I squeaked on the last note.

I walked off, closing my eyes. My whole body shook with anger, fear, and grief. I didn't know why I had said it, but I had. Gippal had his chance, right?

I wanted to write a different story. One that wouldn't end in heartbreak.

* * *

_Note from the author: Thanks for reading, and please review because it is soooo much appreciated. Constructive criticism is desired and welcomed!!_


	5. Four

**Before the Dawn**  
_Four.  
_

And somewhere  
Beyond the frozen fields, I clearly see  
The end of our misery  
A part of the place we knew  
_"The Place We Knew"_ – pixietricks, Reuben Kee, OC Remix

* * *

I wandered around Besaid for another hour or so before I determined my course of action. I would go with the others as we presented Spira with the news. Then, I would go to Gippal, and take up his offer. Not just the two of us, but anyone who wanted to go. As much as I hated to admit, I knew that Gippal was right. If Shinra found something else through the spheres, the Gullwings did have one final mission. The curiosity poked at me like crazy. 

We were the Gullwings before Yunie came. It wouldn't be easy, though. I secretly hoped that a new journey would take my mind off her. I didn't want to hurt anymore.

Fast-forward two months. They were long, tiring months blurred still by tears. We held a weeklong funeral in the Besaid Temple for Yuna. Thousands of mourners came to the tiny island to pay their final respects. Not long after, we (Gippal and I) approached Brother and the other Gullwings about our final mission. The rest of those two months were spent wiping tears in memory and fighting for the existence of the Gullwings. Brother argued that the Gullwings didn't exist without Yuna. Shinra argued that as sphere-hunters we had the right - no, the responsibility - to explore this whatever-he'd-found. The little turd still hadn't let us know what exactly what was going on.

As you may guess, it was a difficult battle. Brother decided he would support us, but refused to step onto the Celsius. Too many memories, he said.

So now I'm seated in a comfy swivel chair on the Mercury, Gippal's ship. Shinra told Buddy the coordinates, and we were off. He stood before us now, a sphere in hand.

"Not long after we discovered the first sphere of Shuyin, another Ronso brought me another sphere. When I viewed it, it appeared to be an exact replica of the first sphere we found. I didn't think it was very necessary so I didn't bring it up."

The young genius turned around, heading toward a computer, similar to the one on the Celsius. He pushed a few buttons, and set the sphere down on a scanner. "During some spare time, I looked at it again. I realized that the signature script on the sphere's encoding was much different than any I'd seen before."

"What's a signature script?" Tidus asked, breaking the attentive silence.

Shinra nodded, holding up a sphere. "On the underside of the sphere's ring, there is a small amount of extra encoded data that states the company that produces and distributes these things cannot be held responsible for what people may record on it. It has a lot of legal jumbo that protects the companies."

"Does that really matter, though?" Gippal questioned. "I mean, so what? If the sphere is a thousand years old, it probably had a different company with a different legal status."

"That's what I thought at first. But," Shinra clicked away as he continued to speak, "I noticed the encoding didn't look like it would translate to a legal code. So I plugged it in the computer and got this." He pushed one last key and a large screen appeared.

_There was a tall silhouette of a man with tussled hair. His arms were crossed over his chest. "Never thought I'd see this place again."_

I immediately looked to Tidus.

He crossed his arms over his chest. "Jecht."

I looked back at the sphere screen. We'd found plenty of spheres recorded by Jecht during the pilgrimage. I looked at his surroundings, noticing lights and colors on a scale I'd never seen before.

_He let out a hearty chuckle, "I thought you'd be happy to be back."_

_A woman sighed a little, "Honey, what's wrong?"_

_"I didn't want to leave. I liked Spira." _That was Tidus' voice!

I shot another glance at him. He had a look of surprise on his face. "Impossible," he whispered.

_"Hey, it was your choice," Jecht turned around. The camera shifted to Tidus' figure, sitting on the ground._

_"I didn't really have one!" Tidus spat. "It was me or her. I wasn't going to let her die!"_

_"And that was your choice." Jecht walked toward the camera. "It was the Fayth that brought you to Spira, and it's the Fayth that brought you back home."_

_"This isn't home!" Tidus yelled, "It's the Farplane! We're dead, old man. DEAD!"_

_"Ty, please," the woman spoke again._

_"No, Mom. Just... no," Tidus stood up, walking toward the bright city._

_"Don't worry," Jecht walked toward the camerawoman again. "He just needs time."_

_"I suppose," she sighed, shutting off the camera._

An uneasy silence settled over the group as they all looked toward Tidus.

"When I found it, I thought it was Shuyin. I assumed it was some family tape that the guards had confiscated when he was arrested. They may have accidentally recorded over it, but the old recording was still accessible.

"When we found you," Shinra looked at Tidus, "I realized that 'Ty' might have been you."

Tidus nodded. "After we defeated Yu Yevon, I started to fade away. I said my goodbyes, and jumped off the ship."

I watched the pain contort his face as he spoke. It must have been just as hard for him to leave as it was for us to let him go.

"I saw a lot of people. Yuna's dad, Auron, my own father..." He leaned back, closing his eyes. "And I kept falling. I saw hundreds of people I knew from Spira, and from Zanarkand - my Zanarkand, the dream Zanarkand. I began to tire out, and I think I fell asleep.

"Next thing I knew, I was back home. My mother was standing above me. She seemed so happy." Tidus sighed quietly. "That was the first day I was home. My mother began recording every little thing. It seemed so strange. I didn't know why, but it was my Zanarkand."

"Hold on one teensy second," I waved my arms above my head. "I thought the Fayth stopped dreaming. That's why you disappeared."

"Right. That's what I don't understand." Tidus looked back to Shinra for an answer.

Shinra shrugged, shaking his head. "I still don't understand this 'dream of the Fayth'. Scientifically, it's preposterous. It would take thousands and thousands of Fayth to create an alternate reality. Except for you and your father coming to Spira, it would serve no purpose."

"How can you say that?" Tidus stood up, towering over the little genius. "The Fayth saved Zanarkand so that it still survived, if only in a memory!"

Shinra shrugged again. "That's what this journey is for."

Tidus crossed his arms over his chest, "So where exactly are we going?"

I raised my head again, "Yeah, where to?"

"Zanarkand."

Gippal arose, "What? We aren't landing this ship there! That place is crawling in fiends!"

"What?" Paine, who had so far been silent, said.

"After Cid cleared out, no one ever went there. It used to be the home for thousands of fiends before he set up his tourist attraction. They've simply returned back," Gippal replied.

"It'll be all right," Buddy said from the navigation. "We'll just drop you off and find somewhere safe to keep the ship.

Gippal muttered something under his breath, and sighed. "Fine."

"What exactly are we looking for there?" I wondered, returning to the subject.

"A way to Zanarkand," Shinra said, "The dream Zanarkand."

* * *

_Note from me the author to you the reader: I hope you can bear with me through this one. I'm not sure what you guys will take on this, but I'd love to hear as always!! I'm going to be throwing out a lot of chapters as rapidly as possible because once school starts, I'll be having a hard time trying to write and post and everything._

_And hey, more readers will inspire me to go FASTER. So if you can, shamelessly promote this PLEASE!! _


	6. Five

**Before the Dawn  
**_Five._

Going on a journey  
Somewhere far out east  
We'll find the time to show you  
Wonders never cease  
_"Wonders Never Cease" – Morcheeba  
_

* * *

Shinra denied knowing any more than that. Of course, having known Shinra for a few years, I knew that he knew more. He just said that was all that he knew for now (meaning, for now, that's all he needs to tell us) and that he'd tell us when he learned more (meaning, when it became important enough for us dimwits to know, he'd tell us). The kid, although a genius, also has a huge ego. 

So, while waiting to get to Zanarkand, I put together a garment grid for myself. Paine, Gippal, Tidus, and I would lead the group and travel through Zanarkand. Shinra would keep in radio contact with us and tell us what direction to head in.

Putting together my garment grid, I realized it had been a while since I fought. It was Vegnagun, in fact. Wow. Hope I'm not too rusty. I sat beside Paine, wondering if after this was done what she was going to do.

"Do you think it'll be awkward for Tidus? Being at Zanarkand?" Paine asked, breaking the tentative silence between us.

"Maybe," I said. "But won't it be so strange? Did you ever imagine that we could go somewhere other than this Spira?"

Paine exhaled shortly through her nose, and "hmm-ed" which was sort of like a laugh for her. "There are times I wish I could."

I tilted my head, looking carefully at Paine. I sometimes forget that she's had some hard times herself. Then again, who in Spira hasn't? Then I wondered, what if there really _was_ another Zanarkand? What if that beautiful metropolis I had only seen in my dreams truly existed?

We were just sphere hunters slash heroines and heroes. Yeah, yeah, we beat Sin. And although it was costly, we defeated Vegnagun and Shuyin. But this was _Zanarkand_. We were all still amazed at the amount of technology and grandeur of cities like Bevelle and Luca. _But Zanarkand_... This was huge. What would we do? Would we tell the world about this alternate reality? How could we? We'd been so hush-hush about Tidus' life and sudden appearance. We didn't think Spira could handle the truth.

"Ready?" Paine broke another silence.

I looked up at her, down at my grid, and nodded. "Yeah."

"Zicd meja." Paine stood up, smiling down at me.

"Just live," I sighed. It was an Al Bhed proverb. During the Yevon Era, things were tough, and the Al Bhed struggled to make it through each day. "Yeah," I said once more. "Zicd meja."

Paine left the cabin, but Tidus entered soon after. "Hey!"

I grinned. "Are you ready?"

"Yup," he replied, "You?"

"Totally," I stood up, stretching my arms. "Are you excited?"

Tidus shrugged, "I'm not sure. All this time I've wanted nothing more than to come back to Spira. Now that I'm here, I'm don't know if it was really what I wanted." He lowered his head, looking at his feet.

I looked away for a moment, knowing the truth. "You wanted to be with Yuna." I didn't know why I felt upset. Of course Tidus wanted Spira for Yuna. Now that she was gone, what was left for him here?

The blonde male looked up at me, his big blue eyes curious. As if he had read my thoughts, he said, "Hey, I still have you, don't I?"

I smiled a little, and nodded, "Don't cha feel lucky?"

He laughed, setting his hand on my shoulder. "I probably should, huh?"

Butterflies swirled around in my stomach. "Uh-huh!" I giggled. I wondered why I was feeling so giddy all of a sudden. I didn't have much time to wonder, though.

"C'mon guys," came Gippal's voice over the intercom, "Let's rock!"

"All right!" Tidus jumped ahead, and ran toward the elevator.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

It was oddly quiet as we stood on the ground, watching the Mercury fly off. Except for Gippal muttering, "If anything happens to my ship..."

"Well, let's take a look and see what we're up against," Paine said finally, walking away from the group.

Tidus marched forward, climbing up a slope he had favored when he was here last. I followed, but stayed on the ground, looking at the rocky wall which I recalled sleeping against.

I took a step closer to it, squinting my eyes in the sunset light. With my fingers I traced along it until I found a small inscription.

_'Every guardian who stood here has failed. Every guardian has let her summoner die. I won't let Yuna die. I won't.'_

I felt my stomach knot up, remembering those last few days of our journey. I had written those words myself with agony. I knew deep down, it was too late. If we had made it to Zanarkand, there was no stopping her.

The world was worth her life. That's how she felt, anyhow.

My contemplative mood was ruined by a high-pitched electronic squeal in my ear that caused me to curse loudly. I pulled out the earpiece that Shinra had given me so he could keep contact.

I looked up, and saw that the other three also had the same looks of pain on their faces.

Gippal screeched, "What was _THAT?_"

"Sorry," Shinra's voice came through the earpiece. I hesitantly put it back in my ear, praying there wouldn't be any more interference.

"You did nah say I could nah touch!" Brother's voice shrieked.

"Well now that you guys are down there," Shinra said, ignoring Brother, "you need to head toward the Chamber of the Fayth."

"And you couldn't have dropped us off closer?" Paine's voice came, although she was a dozen yards away from me.

"Thank Gippal for that," Buddy's said nonchalantly.

Paine, Tidus and I walked toward said Al Bhed and sighed. It was a long, trying journey to get there.

"It's all about the journey, though, right?" Gippal chuckled.

I looked again at my garment grid, making sure I was ready. "On the road again..." I said in a quiet singsong voice. It was the quietest start of a journey that I'd ever experienced. We walked in a box, Paine and Gippal in front, and Tidus and I in back. There was no speaking, humming, anything...

It was a lot like the first time Tidus and I had been here. He must have thought that too, because he was being uncharacteristically silent. He'd always made our long treks interesting, but in Zanarkand...

_"Hey! There was more, right? I mean like that time...uh... Anyone?" _

_ "I think," Yuna had spoken as gently as she could. After all, she was going to her death. How cheery could anyone be? _

_ "Yes?" _

"I think we should stop...maybe. For now."

Tidus had taken her words to heart. He hadn't spoken until we were far inside the temple. Even then, it was only a word or two until we found out about the Final Aeon. He wanted nothing more, I think, than to give Yuna what she needed, even if it was just silence.

We made our way across the sunburned rock and sand toward the temple. We were about halfway there, and still in silence. Gippal had cleared his throat several times, and opened his mouth, but nothing was ever said. I felt awkward. I'd spent months at a time in each of these people's presence. Why could none of us speak? Maybe it was the heaviness of the air. The air was thick with moisture, as if it were going to downpour on us any moment. But, there were no clouds to drop rain on us.

"I thought you said there were supposed to be a lot of fiends."

We all stopped to look at Paine, who had finally broken the silence.

"Seeing as there are no fiends, couldn't we have just gotten dropped off at the temple?" Paine continued as if unaware she was the first to speak within the last half hour.

"Um," Gippal looked around.

I looked left and right, but there was nothing except the sun-dried ground and ruins. It was strange...

"Lucco said that when his team came here they were swarmed with pyreflies and monstrous fiends. He said the only haven was inside the Chamber of the Fayth. Where could they all be?" Gippal wondered out loud. He broke our formation and walked toward the top of a building.

"When did he come here?" Paine asked.

"He said about a week ago."

"So in one week," Tidus scratched the back of his head, "all the fiends and whatnot decided to pick up and leave?"

"Fiends don't do stuff like that," I shrugged, puzzled. I squinted my eyes and looked toward the temple. The sun was sitting just on the horizon, so it was hard to see, but I could make out a few floating lights. "There are pyreflies at the temple."

"Mmm...goody."

I looked toward Gippal and sighed. I knew the feeling. I wasn't exactly fond of areas haunted by a ton of pyreflies anymore either. "Not all memories are nice," I muttered under my breath. The Den of Woe made sure of that. But this wouldn't be like that, would it?

Then I remembered...

It was like the Den of Woe, but without a tortured soul to...

I shuddered and closed my eyes.

"We'll be okay."

I opened my eyes and looked toward Gippal. He had set one of his hands on my shoulders, and gave a rare, genuinely comforting smile.

"'Kay," I replied quietly.

"What's wrong?" Shinra's voice echoed in all of our ears.

"Nothing," Paine answered. "There's no fiends, so we just stopped for a minute."

"No fiends? All the reports have said that there were high levels of activity and..."

"Apparently they were wrong." Paine shrugged. "Let's get to the temple, all right?"

With no further reply from Shinra, we continued on our way.

"So Tidus," Gippal said, breaking the silence that had formed quickly.

"Yeah?"

"This place we're going to is like your home right?"

"Right."

"You play blitz there?"

"Of course!" Tidus laughed. "If we get the chance, I'll get you guys the best seats and you can watch a _real_ blitz team play."

Gippal laughed too, "Better than Rikku and her dinky team, right?"

Paine let out a little laugh. "We weren't all that bad, you know."

I smiled. Even though the teasing had come back to me again, I appreciated how quickly both Tidus and Gippal were able to lift the mood. "Right, we won some games!"

"I think we'll wait and see," Gippal challenged.

I stuck out my tongue. "I could beat _you_ Gippal."

"Oh, Cid's girl," Gippal laughed.

"Hey! I--"

"—have a name you know!" Gippal mimicked me in a high-pitched voice. _Everyone_ laughed.

"Come on!" I stamped my feet, and pouted. It was childish, I know, but so what?

"He knows you pretty well," Paine laughed.

Gippal looked at me and grinned, "We were--"

"—quite the couple once!" I mimicked in a deeper voice, quickly getting my revenge.

He still wore the same grin as he tussled my hair. "Exactly."

I narrowed my eyes at him, wondering why he was playing the couple card so proudly _again_. He only did it when he wanted to embarrass me (e.g. in front of the Gullwings when we were in Djose – I _never_ lived that down!).

"Huh." Paine stopped walking, and looked up. We were practically at the temple, but we hadn't noticed how quickly we'd gotten there.

"Looks just like the Farplane!"

Everyone did a one-eighty and looked behind us at the voice. _Wakka's voice_.

"Close enough."

"Auron?" Tidus stepped ahead of us.

"No way," I whispered. Standing before us was a large group of weary travelers.

Wakka, Auron, Lulu, Kimahri, Tidus, me, and...

I looked at Tidus and saw his body shake once. "Yuna."

* * *

_Author's Note: _Aha, what do we have here? You'll just have to keep tuned, and keep leaving me all those nice reviews Thanks to everyone who has been reading.


	7. Six

**Before the Dawn**  
_Six._

We'll trace our footsteps in the sand  
And just walk away... baby someday  
Now I don't know how a heart beats  
But I sure know how one breaks  
_"Maybe Someday" – Bon Jovi_

* * *

I exhaled shakily. "This is..."

The pilgrimage looked at each other nervously, and Auron started walking again, just like I remembered he had. He'd been here before. The summoner brushed back her brown hair, and swung her hands forward, in a style that might have been inspired by me. She nodded at Kimahri, who started after Auron. The entire group followed, walking straight toward us. I moved to the side, but saw that Tidus hadn't.

He stood in front of Yuna, and lifted his hand cautiously. Instead of the smile and embrace my mind wished for, she walked right through him, and continued toward the temple.

"Tidus," I whispered. He still kept his hand up, as if instead of passing through him, Yuna was still standing there, just failing to take his hand.

I set my hand on his arm, and gently pushed it down to his side again. "It's just a memory, like last time we were here."

This is what I had been afraid of. When I saw the pyreflies, my mind had raced to both the Den of Woe, and this spot two years ago. Our predecessors, from Seymour and his mother to Yuna's dad, had greeted us. I thought for a moment, what if our memories were preserved here?

Then, I remembered coming here with the Gullwings. Why were the memories here now, if they weren't a few months ago?

"You need to get to the Chamber of the Fayth," Shinra's voice once again broke through an awkward moment.

"I don't suppose there is an easier way in," Paine communicated. I admired her ability to be collected and whatnot even after something like that.

"Why?"

"We've got a different sort of fiend here."

We heard a bit of clacking from the keyboard, then, "I'm not seeing anything."

"We'll just get to the Chamber as fast as we can," Gippal sighed. He turned to Tidus, and patted him on the shoulder. "I know you want to forget--"

"No," Tidus shook his head. "Let's just go."

I frowned. The tension in the air had eased, but when Tidus spoke, the air seemed to become crisp and cold. Of course Tidus didn't want to forget...

"It's strange," Paine said after a moment, breaking my thought. She started to walk toward the temple again. Almost involuntarily, I followed. I didn't know if I wanted to face that part of my life. The part of my life that included Yuna was over, and I just wasn't ready to start a new one yet.

"What?" Gippal asked.

"When Wakka spoke, I was thinking the same thing. It's just like the Farplane," Paine continued. "But those were your memories, they just seemed to fit my thoughts."

I looked down at my boots. "There are places where pyreflies cling to people's memories and make them eternal." I remembered Yuna saying this when...

"Do you think we'll see a lot from the pilgrimage?" Tidus asked.

I didn't know. I sure hoped not...

We entered the temple, which was still as ruined as ever. "I've never been here," Gippal looked up at the sky that was visible through the ceiling. "I don't think it'll be my memories."

"And I was only here with the Gullwings," Paine shrugged. As she spoke, three kids ran through us, causing me to screech, startled.

"So where do you think the 'key' is?" one of them turned to the other two.

Paine laughed, "I remember running around here chasing monkeys and spheres."

I smiled a little, but my heart was still pounding in my ears. "To think it was only a few months ago."

We wandered through the temple, but only saw a few apparitions of Leblanc's goons running around. I hoped that this was the only thing we had to see.

Everything was happening so fast. I wasn't sure what to do. When we reached the Cloister, I thought that maybe this was all just a crazy dream and I'd wake up before I saw Yuna again.

We walked our way through the last Cloister, and I could feel the tension rising again. My stomach was in knots.

"There's something I should probably tell you guys," Shinra's voice echoed in my ear. His tone was almost nervous, which scared me a bit. Shinra was always cool and collected, especially for a kid...

"That doesn't sound good," Gippal replied, sounding anxious.

"Well I didn't think it was important before, but judging by the high level of spectral pyre activity in the building, I think you need to know. It's likely that this connection might be severed if you do succeed in traveling this other realm."

"What?" I gulped. "How are we supposed to get back if you don't tell us?!"

"The Fayth, I imagine." The anxiety had faded already from his voice, and was quickly replaced by his sort of smug, bored tone.

My brow furrowed and I glanced at the others, who had the same anxious look on their faces. "What are we just supposed to walk up to them and be all, 'Oh hello Mr. Fayth, can you please send us home?'"

"That sounds about right."

"What!" Tidus yelled. "Even if that _did_ work, we can't just call on them whenever we want! There aren't any temples in Zanarkand for us to find Fayth. There were never _Fayth_ in Zanarkand!"

Shinra took no notice of the fact that Tidus was yelling, but continued. "You don't have to worry about getting home, all right? I'll be able to handle that. But if you do get into trouble along the way, I won't be able to help you because I doubt that even _my_ inventions couldn't travel to a Fayth-based realm."

Paine sighed loudly. "So is that it? We'll lose contact with you and the rest of the Gullwings after this?"

"Right."

"Let's just get this over with," Paine said quietly. "We don't want to stay in this temple any longer than needed, right?"

I nodded.

We were now outside the doorway that led to the great hall. I didn't want to go in. I really, really didn't. For some reason, I felt that if I watched us save Yuna, I'd realize again that in the end we failed.

I felt a hand brush across mine once, and I looked up. Gippal gave the tiniest smile and winked his one eye.

"Come on," he said. He took my hand this time, and tugged a little. I followed as he started to lead through the doorway. I wasn't sure how to react to his hand-grabbing again, but I knew I needed the guidance to continue on.

We stepped across the threshold, and I exhaled a little. The four of us stopped just inside the room, and looked around.

Nothing.

I let out the rest of my breath.

"Now what?" Tidus whispered.

It was quiet, which explained why Tidus whispered. There was a strange atmosphere in this room, like there were ghosts waiting for us, but they couldn't make any sort of noise.

"Shinra said that something would react with the sphere," Gippal said. He let go of my hand and pulled out the sphere that had contained both the movies of Tidus and of Shuyin.

Almost immediately, a figure appeared at the top of the stairs, and a crisp voice pierced the silence.

"Welcome to Zanarkand."

I sucked in a gasp that sounded more like a tiny scream. Clad only in her ribbon-like clothing was Yunalesca.

"I congratulate you, summoner."

I shut my eyes tight, knowing that we (the pilgrimage) would be nearby. I heard a noise like static on a sphere and I heard her speak again.

"Now, choose. You must choose the one whom I will change... to become the Fayth of the Final Summoning."

I felt a hand clamp down on my shoulder and squeeze tightly. Another crackle of static, then she spoke once more. This time her voice was distorted and crackly...

"Death is the ultimate and final liberation."

I opened my eyes. Before me was (as I feared) the pilgrimage. We all looked horror-struck. But we also looked... static-y? It was strange. Like watching an old sphere: a life-size sphere, but an old one. The images kept flickering back and forth, sometimes irregular with the voices.

"The Final Summoning...will be yours." Crackle.

"You will soon be freed of worry and pain." Flicker.

I winced. The hand groping my shoulder was beginning to ache. I looked up and saw not Gippal, but Tidus. His eyes were wide and pained.

"There is nothing to fear." Yunalesca disappeared.

"But I want everything!"

"Now you're being childish!"

"They know they can just throw away a summoner, then they can do whatever they like!"

"You really think she'll help you?"

"Wait." The images seemed to move in slow motion. Yuna turned and faced the pilgrimage-Tidus. Her voice and movement skipped, like a broken sphere.

"What I—What I—What—What-I do, I do-do-o-o-o-do...wi-with n-no regrets."

The word 'regrets' echoed as the images crackled away.

Whichever Al Bhed said, "memories are nice, but that's all they are" deserves to be shot. In the pancreas or the spleen maybe.

I closed my eyes again for a moment. I wasn't quite sure what was going on.

"Welcome to Zanarkand."

My eyes flew open. Not again!

But that wasn't...Yunalesca. A tall, thin woman stood before us. She didn't possess the cold aura that Yunalesca had carried. A soft white glow seemed to emit from her as she walked down the staircase toward us.

She wore a silvery blue gown that flowed around her like water. She had bronze skin, and copper brown eyes like her hair that nearly matched the length of her gown. Her eyes searched each of us, and she smiled brightly when she reached Tidus and I.

"Hello Tidus. Welcome back."

"Zaléa?" His jaw fell a little. "How-you-uh-what's-huh?" he rambled.

She looked around the temple and scrunched her nose. "I'm glad the Fayth decided to make our Zanarkand a little nicer." The woman laughed a laugh that sounded... well, as clichéd as it sounds, it sounded like the tinkling of bells. I know it sounds silly, but that's what it was. I've never heard anything like it.

"Let's go somewhere a bit nicer." She lifted her arms, and the glow around her began to spread from her body to the room.

I heard Paine gasp as we watched the phenomenon. As the glow moved out, it changed the room. Well, not really changed it, but fixed it. The rubble that had fallen from the walls and the ceiling was replaced quickly. The dampness that had hung around the room lifted, and lights began to blaze overhead where before there hadn't been anything.

Finally the glow had reached every crevice in the room, and Zaléa put down her arms. She smiled again, "Welcome to Zanarkand."

* * *

_Author Note: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed - and for everyone else who has favorited this story or put it on their alert - but I REALLY love reviews! I swear it'll inspire me more to write faster And thanks for your patience. I know I sometimes take too long to update but hopefully it's worth it... Much love!_


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